Travel Alert Status
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
Time Difference
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Travel Climate
The climate varies little year round. Although the country is in the tropics, constant trade winds keep temperatures from frequently exceeding 90°F. Temperatures in its coastal cities average about 78°F, with seasonal variations of 5-8 degrees.
Rainfall varies regionally with about two-thirds of the annual 57 inches in the capital falling in the rainy season from May to November. Hurricanes are a significant weather threat, particularly from June through October, and have caused serious damage in the past.
Travel Currency
46.2
Language Spoken
Spanish (official)
Languages
Spanish
Ethnic Groups
Mixed 70.4% (Mestizo/Indio 58%, Mulatto 12.4%), Black 15.8%, White 13.5%, other 0.3%
National Holiday
Independence Day, 27 February (1844)
Geographic Coordinates
19 00 N, 70 40 W
Location
Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
Airports
16